Career Highlights

~~~NOTE: This was Larry Chene’s final match before his car collided with a telephone pole on the way home.

October 2, 1964: Larry Chene (aged 40) was killed in an automobile accident near Ottawa, Illinois…

Special thanks to Larry Chene’s daughter (Donna Fletcher) for emailing us and helping with the content on this page..

Donna Fletcher wrote: He [Larry Chene] had the World Champion belt when he died (we have it). Dad was the “Good guy” so his feuds were with all the legendary bad guys. When my Dad died, he was survived by his wife and six children (1 son, 5 daughters).

Mark wrote: He had an ‘iron stomach’ because in one match I saw, Dick the Bruiser was to jump on Larry’s stomach from atop a 6 foot ladder. But being the bad guy that he was, The Bruiser changed the ‘arrangement’ and of course, jumped on poor Larry’s throat!! Naturally, it was all staged and in a few weeks, Larry was back ‘leaping’. This was all televised.

J. Michael Kenyon wrote: LARRY CHENE (aka Arthur Lawrence Beauchene) ? died, age 40, in an automobile accident Friday morning, October 2, 1964, near Ottawa IL … Investigating police reported they had found a speeding ticket in his car charging him with traveling 92 mph on a highway near Atkinson IL, issued only five hours before his body was discovered … Chene was returning from a show in Moline IL ? Born Detroit MI ? Survived by wife Mary and six children, Carole, Patrice, Donald, Michael, Terri Kay and Lori Jean ? Burial Tuesday, October 6, 1964, at Mt. Olivet Cemetery ? attended St. Bernard High, where he played most sports, and Detroit Conservatory of Music, and then went on to University of Iowa and University of Michigan during naval pre-flight training ? Began mat career in 1951 ? went to Texas in 1953 for six weeks’ engagement; stayed six years ? Was a spectacular aerial performer … He estimated to the Detroit News on October 26, 1961 that he had earned $350,000 as a wrestler over the past decade ? “Chene has done most of his wrestling in the smaller town and cities of Michigan and Ontario. He has made repeated appearances in Pinconning and Clare, Essex and Chatham, Carleton and Escanaba, Saginaw and Sault Ste. Marie. In such places, the gates range from $1,000 to $3,000 and Chene’s purses are relatively small, but he wrestles four or five nights a week.” ? Introduced to the business by Bert Ruby ? “My uncle ran a butcher shop on the east side,” Chene recalled, “and Bert was one of his best customers. He heard that I had done some wrestling in Iowa Pre-Flight School and got me interested in turning pro. At that time I was losing my shirt in a small trucking business. Bert got me a match in Saginaw. For wrestling 30 minutes I was paid $27.50 — the easiest money I ever made. The next morning I folded the trucking business and told Bert to get me some more matches. He’s still at it.”